OU Football Notebook: Kevin Wilson: Brody Eldridge as good as Jon Cooper at center

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson startled reporters Tuesday by proclaiming that converted tight end Brody Eldridge is already as good a center as Jon Cooper was last season.

Ryan Broyles will be back in the slot when OU faces BYU on Saturday. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

"He’s as good as the guy that played last year, right now,” Wilson said. "He blocks those big guys we got who are as good as anybody we’ll see, right now.”

When asked if he really was saying that Eldridge, despite only playing the position for a month, was as good as Cooper, a 4-year starter who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season, Wilson didn’t budge.

"He’s our best lineman,” Wilson said of Eldridge. "Trent (Williams) is the most talented guy, but Brody is the most consistent.”

Wilson also disclosed that while playing Eldridge at tight end Saturday would be an option, he doubted that he would move Eldridge from center for Ben Habern much, if at all.

Habern, in his second week back from a muscle injury in his lower back, instead will rotate in at guard behind Brian Simmons, Jarvis Jones and Stephen Good, Wilson said.

"We’ll have pads set up if we want to use him at tight end a little bit,” Wilson said. "But it’s not a revolving door.

"Ben will play, but we might find Ben playing some at guard, just for (quarterback Sam Bradford’s) comfort level. Having the same snap, same timing of the gun snap.”

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